To make a sustainable impact on the economic conditions of inhabitants of Barmer, Rajasthan, India by applying the skill sets learnt in the classroom to the real world.

The team of Koshish..An Attempt along with students and professors from Eckerd College, St.Petersburg, Florida, USA and Carnegie Melon University will be visiting the district of Barmer, Rajasthan in January 2008 in an attempt to make a difference in the community focusing mainly on the aspects of CONSTRUCTION, EMPOWERMENT and AWARENESS.

The 40 students will be getting together

• Build houses for families who do not have a concrete house especially for widows in the region.
• Hold financial literacy and entrepreneurship workshops for women, teaching them to manage their income in an optimum way.
• Conduct workshops for children in local schools and explain to them, the importance of education.
• Develop a distribution channel in the United States for the handicrafts made by the Barmer villagers.

Barmer is a city and a municipality in Barmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India. Barmer is situated 157 kilometers from Jaisalmer and over 200 kilometers from Jodhpur.

As of 2001 India census, Barmer had a population of 83,517. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Barmer has an average literacy rate of 66%, with 63% of the males and 37% of females literate. 15% of the population is under 6 years of age

Need for Project

• Construction:

1. Houses (Bhavan):The region of Barmer is situated in the Thar Desert. The locals face the problem of having to travel far and wide in order to get the necessary materials to build houses. Most of the deprived people live in houses made of grass and other un-durable materials. While there are some who cannot afford to build any shelter for themselves. This being the need of the hour, our aim is to build 10×12 ft. wide and 8 ft. tall houses for the deprived people. By doing so, we hope to give them a permanent residence and some form of safety during times of flood and other natural calamities that strike the area.

The cost to build a house is Rs 30,000/-

2. Wells:Once again this being desert region, there is a shortage of water perennially. Thus wells are required to store water and at present there is a shortage of wells in the region. There are some regions in Rajasthan where there is water of potable quality available. From these regions water to supplied to some areas via pipelines. But, in the interior villages there is no such facility. Thus the people have to travel great distances in order to get water. To serve the interest of such people, we plan to construct wells that run about 10-15 ft. deep. The idea is to build wells that will be common for about 3-4 families living in a small community. By doing so we can reach out to many people in a short time span.

The cost to build a well is Rs 15,000/-

• Awareness:

1. Education:In spite of the provisions made by the government for primary education in various districts and villages of Rajasthan, there is still a section left in the society which does not receive basic education. The sections of the society whose children are deprived of education mainly consist of the poor, the handicapped, the widows and the orphans. The main objective is to provide these children with education through various programs.

a) The orphans need to be provided with the basic education. The one way of doing so is providing them with funds to enter a school.

b) There needs to be a means to admit girls in to schools for both primary and secondary education. To provide the girls with education is the need of the hour as well an integral part of development of the society.

c) We need to make available to all the children things that are an important part of their education. These things include funds for admission into schools, books, stationery, etc.

d) We need to educate the children about the current conditions of the society and its needs. By doing so our aim is to inculcate in them values, which will further encourage them to do better for the society that they are a part of and the country as a whole.

2. Health Concerns:In the interior most regions of Rajasthan there is lack of medical resources, lack of knowledge and awareness about the importance of health and poverty. Due to which people are unable to get themselves treated for their illnesses. These people suffer both due to the society they live in as well as due to their financial conditions. Our aim is not only to provide them with some medical resources but also to educate them through the establishments or various programs.

a) Health Camps: At the village level, on a seasonal basis health camps can be set up which will provide the residents basic health check ups and medications. Whereas those suffering from grave illnesses should be provided a means to get to a hospital which can help them at a nominal charge.

b) Similar health camps need to be set up in various schools so that the children can receive health check up free of cost.

c) Those suffering from eye related issues, especially cataract have to be identified and sent for immediate treatment in the near by hospitals.

3. Environmental Concerns:One of the two major problems faced by the entire country today is SANITATION. Health issues such as spread of air borne and water borne diseases are mainly due to lack of sanitation. Inadequate education and awareness regarding the importance of cleanliness is a problem faced in the rural areas. Our aim is to educate and inculcate the importance of a clean environment in children as well as adults through sports and education camps.

• Empowerment:

In the villages, people do not have any basic means of income. The chief source of income for the locals is mainly small-scale industries and animal husbandry. Most of the deprived individuals and families do not have any income and if they do it is insufficient to provide them with their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter.

We want to provide these people with the opportunities and facilities to earn their own livelihood.

a) Help with the small-scale industry and farming: Our goal is to plant the seeds of development for the locals to start the industries of their own. The farmers need to be provided with tractors or give them the rent to hire tractors in order for the farming to be done on time.

b) Sewing and hand manufacturing of goods: The women need to be provided with and taught the right techniques to sew and manufacture goods at home. The women can also be provided with machinery to stitch garments which can be sold directly to the local markets or be bought by us so that there is no or minimum part of a middleman.

• Create partnership with a local college or any corporate house in India so that we can create a base in India for the sustainability of this project in the long run.
• Establish trades between local producers of handicrafts, jewelry and tapestries in Barmer and businesses in and around Pittsburgh.

1) CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

2) ECKERD COLLEGE

• Eckerd

Against a backdrop of palm trees and blue water, in an atmosphere of intellectual richness and openness, through remarkable relationships and experiences of many kinds, Eckerd College changes lives.
Located on 188 acres of waterfront property in St. Petersburg, Florida, Eckerd College is a private, coeducational college of liberal arts and sciences related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1958, Eckerd is a pioneer of responsible innovation - developing programs that have been adopted nationwide and earning the college an international reputation for academic excellence.
Eckerd College has a diverse student body with 1817 students from 48 states and 33 countries and is one of only 40 schools listed in Loren Pope’s Colleges That Change Lives. In 2003, Eckerd was named one of 13 Institutions of Excellence in the First College Year by the Policy Center on the First Year of College and became one of the youngest colleges to receive a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Eckerd also serves over 1000 students annually through its Program for Experienced Learners. The Leadership Development Institute executive education program, Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College (ASPEC), and offerings through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and Elderhostel identify the college as a national leader in continuing education.

Mission

The mission of Eckerd College is to provide an undergraduate liberal arts education and lifelong learning programs of the highest quality in the unique environment of Florida, within the context of a strong relationship with the Presbyterian Church and in a spirit of innovation.

• International Student Union

ISU was established in 2004 in an effort to better serve the international student body at Carnegie Mellon. The general principles of the group are to spread awareness and understanding about other cultures, ideas, ethnic groups, etc. to mitigate prejudices and remove misconceptions and to encourage all students from different backgrounds to facilitate learning about each other. Various events are organized throughout the year to attain these goals. More specifically: Cultural Fusion, Basketball tournaments, Soccer weekends, restaurant trips, The International Silent Auction and Competitive booth during Carnival.

• Students In Free Enterprise

SIFE is a global non-profit organization active on more than 1600 campuses and in more than 40 countries. SIFE teams are led by faculty advisors and they are challenged to develop community outreach projects that reach five educational topics: Market Economics, Success Skills, Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy and Business Ethics. Carnegie Mellon SIFE was started in 2001 and has since then grown to over 15 projects and 150 members. It has become the premier organization of the Tepper School of Business. Carnegie Mellon SIFE is proud to have an excellent history of success in participating at both the Regional and National Levels.